Delhi High Court - Orders
Ms Himayani Puri vs Mr Kunal Shukla & Ors on 17 March, 2026
$~34
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+ CS(OS) 210/2026, I.A. 6659/2026, I.A. 6660/2026, I.A. 6661/2026 &
I.A. 6662/2026
MS HIMAYANI PURI .....Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Mahesh Jethmalani, Sr. Adv., Mr.
Mohit Mathur, Sr. Adv., Mr. Pramod
Kr. Dubey, Sr. Adv., Mr. Sunil Dalal,
Sr. Adv. along with Mr. Ravi Sharma,
Mr. Akhil Sachar, Mr. Shantanu
Agarwal, Ms. Madhulika Rai Sharma,
Mr. Kapil Rustagi, Mr. Manas Arora,
Mr. Syed Hamza Ghayour, Mr.
Abhinav Tyagi, Ms. Rasveen Kaur
Kapoor, Mr. Vineeth Varma
Penmetsa, Ms.Anjani Kumar Rai, Ms.
Prachi Dubey, Ms. Radhika Chawla,
Ms. Sunanda Tulisan, Ms. Mehak
Joshi, Mr. Rupraj Banerjee, Mr.
Praful Kumar and Mr. Vignesh
Ramanathan, Advs.
Mob: 9997024365
Email: [email protected]
versus
MR KUNAL SHUKLA & ORS. .....Defendants
Through: Mr. Madhu Sudan Bhayana and Mr.
Yash Gupta, Advocates for D-1
Mob: 9891617861
Email:
[email protected]
Mr. Tavleen Singh, Mr. Kartikey
Kumar and Mr. Santosh Kumar
Yadav, Advocates for D-2
Mob: 9768012759
Page 1 of 21
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.
The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Shyam Singh Chauhan and Mr.
Rishabh Panchal, Advocate for D-8
Mob: 8076455024
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Vishesh Kanodia, Advocate for
D-11 and 12
Mob: 9767372488
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Aditya Gupta and Ms. Vani
Kaushik, Advocates for D-16
Mob: 7303672698
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Arvind Datar, Sr. Advocate with
Mr. Varun Pathak, Ms. Amee Rana,
Mr. Yash Karunakaran and Ms.
Varsha Jhavar, Advocates for D-17
Mob: 8999260150
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Abhishek Kumar Singh, Mr.
Saurabh Kumar and Ms. Vedanshi,
Advocates for D-18
Mob: 6202605258
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Dhananjai Rana, CGSC-UOI
with Mr. Shivam Bhardwaj, GP for
D-19 and 20
Mob: 9958516171
Email: [email protected]
CORAM:
HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE MINI PUSHKARNA
ORDER
% 17.03.2026 I.A. 6662/2026
1. The present application has been filed under Section 80(2), read with Page 2 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 ("CPC"), on behalf of the plaintiff, seeking exemption from giving a written notice to the government authorities.
2. This Court notes that the government authorities, i.e., defendant nos. 19 and 20, are represented before this Court.
3. Noting the aforesaid, the present application is disposed of.
I.A. 6661/20264. The present application has been filed under Section 151 of the CPC, seeking permission to file long and lengthy list of dates and synopsis.
5. Considering the submissions made in the present application, the present application is allowed and the same is disposed of.
I.A. 6660/20266. The present application has been filed under Section 151 of the CPC on behalf of the plaintiff, seeking permission to file a Pen Drive containing the impugned videos.
7. In terms of Rule 24 of Chapter XI of the Delhi High Court (Original Side) Rules, 2018 ("Delhi High Court Rules"), it is made clear that electronic records can be received in Compact Disk ("CD")/ Digital Versatile Disc ("DVD")/Medium, unless encrypted with a hash value. The said Rule is extracted as below:
"xxx xxx xxx
24. Reception of electronic evidence - A party seeking to tender any electronic record shall do so in a CD/DVD/Medium, encrypted with a hash value, the details of which shall be disclosed in a separate memorandum, signed by the party in the form of an affidavit. This will be tendered along with the encrypted CD/DVD/Medium in the Registry. The electronic record in the encrypted CD/DVD/Medium will be uploaded on the server of the Court by the Computer Section and kept in an electronic folder which shall be labeled with the cause Page 3 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 title, case number and the date of document uploaded on the server. Thereafter, the encrypted CD/ DVD/Medium will be returned to the party on the condition that it shall be produced at the time of admission/denial of the documents and as and when directed by the Court/ Registrar. The memorandum disclosing the hash value shall be separately kept by the Registry on the file. The compliance with this rule will not be construed as dispensing with the compliance with any other law for the time being in force including Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
xxx xxx xxx"
8. Accordingly, Registry may receive electronic record in a Pen Drive or "DVD", so long as it is encrypted with a hash value or in any other non- editable format.
9. The present application is allowed and the plaintiff is allowed to place the documents in a Pen Drive/DVD. Let the Pen Drive/DVD containing the documents be placed in the electronic record of the present suit.
10. With the aforesaid directions, the present application is disposed of. CS(OS) 210/2026
11. Let the plaint be registered as suit.
12. Issue summons to the defendants.
13. Summons is accepted by learned counsels appearing for defendant nos. 1, 2, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Let written statement be filed by defendant nos. 1, 2, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, within a period of thirty (30) days from today.
14. Issue summons to the other defendants, through all permissible modes.
15. The summons shall state that the written statement(s) shall be filed by the defendants, within thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of summons.
16. Along with the written statement(s), the defendants shall also file Page 4 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 affidavit(s) of admission/denial of the documents of the plaintiff, without which, the written statement(s) shall not be taken on record.
17. Liberty is given to the plaintiffs to file replication(s), if any, within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the written statement(s). Along with the replication(s), filed by the plaintiff, the affidavit(s) of admission/denial of the documents of defendants, be filed by the plaintiff, without which, the replication(s) shall not be taken on record.
18. It is made clear that any unjustified denial of documents may lead to an order of costs against the concerned party.
19. If any of the parties wish to seek inspection of the documents, the same shall be sought and given within the timelines
20. List before the Joint Registrar on 07th May, 2026, for further proceedings.
21. List before the Court on 07th August, 2026.
I.A. 6659/202622. The present suit has been filed by the plaintiff for damages, permanent and mandatory injunction, seeking directions to the defendants to forthwith take down the content as set out in the plaint, and to restrain them from publishing similar content, on account of the same being defamatory in nature.
23. The present application has been filed by the plaintiff under Order XXXIX Rules 1 and 2, read with Section 151 of the CPC, seeking ad- interim injunction restraining the defendant nos. 1 to 14 from publishing, re- publishing and circulating defamatory content against the plaintiff. It further seeks an ad-interim injunction directing the defendant nos. 15 to 18 to take down and remove the defamatory content from their platforms.
Page 5 of 21This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02
24. It is submitted by learned Senior Counsel appearing for the plaintiff that the plaintiff is a distinguished finance and investment management professional, of an international repute with an unblemished career spanning nearly three decades in the highly competitive and regulated financial industry in the United States of America ("USA"). The plaintiff currently holds a senior position at a prominent investment management firm, based in New York City, and her professional reputation, built on decades of ethical conduct, integrity, and excellence, is her most valuable asset.
25. He further submits that in or around February, 2026, following the release of about 3 million documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, a systematic, coordinated, deliberate, and malicious campaign of defamation was initiated against the plaintiff. In the said defamatory campaign, numerous news articles, reports, posts, interviews, etc., were published against the plaintiff, across multiple digital platforms, social media networks, video-sharing websites, and news portals.
26. The said campaign aims to fabricate a narrative and disseminate conspiracy theories that depict the plaintiff and her family as being associated with Jeffrey Epstein. It has been falsely alleged that the plaintiff and her family members are the recipients of illicit funds, participants in dubious financial transactions, and individuals associated with criminal behaviour and moral impropriety. The details of the defamatory statements published by defendant nos. 1 to 14, and 21, as given in the plaint, are reproduced as under:
"xxx xxx xxx Page 6 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 xxx xxx xxx"
27. By referring to the aforesaid, learned Senior Counsel appearing for Page 7 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 the plaintiff submits that the defamatory content in question seeks to falsely associate the plaintiff as the student or operator of a convicted criminal, i.e., Jeffrey Epstein. The defamatory content further alleges financial impropriety, including, the receipt of illicit funds purportedly from Jeffrey Epstein, amounting to ₹2,400 Crores and ₹5,700 Crores by a firm co- founded by the plaintiff, and seeks to insinuate professional misconduct, unethical business practices, and regulatory violations by the plaintiff. The defamatory campaign has also falsely linked the plaintiff's lawful property purchases, made from her own hard-earned money, to her alleged connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
28. He submits that the defendant nos. 1 to 14 and 21, who have published and broadcasted such false and defamatory statements against the plaintiff, are all content creators or journalists. Further, defendant nos. 15 to 18 are the social media platforms and intermediaries, on whose platform, the said defamatory content is being hosted and disseminated.
29. Learned Senior Counsel for the plaintiff further submits that the said contents have been deliberately designed and disseminated to besmirch the plaintiff's reputation, and lower the same in the estimation of third parties and the public at large, thereby, causing serious and irreparable harm to the plaintiff's goodwill, standing, and dignity.
30. He further submits that the said defamatory contents are entirely baseless and have been published with reckless disregard for truth. The scandalous claims in question have not been substantiated by any credible evidence, and the plaintiff has never met, interacted, or communicated with Jeffrey Epstein, nor has she had any connection to him or his activities, in any capacity. Thus, there is no material that links the plaintiff to Jeffrey Page 8 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Epstein, his activities, or any alleged financial transactions connected with him.
31. He further submits that the allegation of financial impropriety with respect to the alleged funds received by Realm Partners LLC in the year 2014-2015 is chronologically impossible, as the said firm ceased all fund- raising activities in 2011, and formally ceased operations in 2015. Additionally, there has never been any direct or indirect investment or funding of any kind, between Realm Partners LLC and Jeffrey Epstein.
32. He further submits that the plaintiff is being maliciously targeted in a concerted and motivated manner, solely on account of her being the daughter of Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri, a Union Minister of the Government of India, who has had a distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service.
33. In view of the wide circulation of the defamatory content in question, to millions of viewers across the globe, and which continues to remain accessible online, the plaintiff issued a Cease and Desist Notice dated 06th March, 2026 to defendant nos. 1 to 18, thereby calling upon them to immediately cease and desist from publishing or disseminating the defamatory content against the plaintiff, and remove the same globally, within 72 hours of receipt of the said Notice.
34. Despite the expiry of the aforesaid period of 72 hours, the defendants have failed and neglected to comply with the said Notice. Consequently, the defamatory content in question remains publicly accessible, and continues to be repeatedly viewed, shared, downloaded, and commented upon by members of the public, thereby causing continuing reputational harm and injury to the plaintiff.
35. He further submits that the plaintiff's professional reputation is her Page 9 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 most valuable asset in the investment management industry, where reputation, trust, and investor confidence are fundamental prerequisites for business relationships. Therefore, the plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm if the defamatory content in question is not taken down or removed.
36. The matter requires consideration.
37. Issue notice. Notice is accepted by learned counsels appearing for defendant nos. 1, 2, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.
38. Issue notice to the other defendants, by all permissible modes.
39. Learned counsel appearing for defendant no. 11 submits that upon receipt of a telephonic conversation, defendant no. 11 has already removed the defamatory content, even before filing of the present case.
40. Likewise, learned counsel appearing for defendant no. 2 submits that the defendant no. 2 has also removed the entire content from his "X" account (formerly Twitter).
41. The aforesaid statements are taken note of.
42. At this stage, learned counsel appearing for defendant no. 12, who operates a channel on YouTube, under the name and style of "Jana Gana Mana 24x7", submits that the videos in question, which have been uploaded by defendant no. 12, are in the nature of journalistic freedom. He further submits that in the said videos, only questions have been asked with respect to the tweets made on behalf of defendant no. 1, and that fair journalism has to be permitted.
43. Per contra, learned Senior Counsel appearing for the plaintiff submits that no doubt fair journalism has to be permitted, but journalism cannot be scurrilous in any manner.
44. Learned Senior Counsel for the plaintiff further submits that interim Page 10 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 directions may be directed to the defendants, on a global basis. He relies upon the judgment in the case of Swami Ramdev and Another Versus Facebook, Inc. and Others, 2019 SCC OnLine Del 10701, wherein, it has been directed as under:
"xxx xxx xxx
110. The interpretation of Section 79 as discussed hereinabove, leads this Court to the conclusion that the disabling and blocking of access has to be from the computer resource, and such resource includes a computer network, i.e., the whole network and not a mere (geographically) limited network. It is not disputed that this resource or network is controlled by the Defendants. When disabling is done by the Platforms on their own, in terms of their policies, the same is global. So, there is no reason as to why court orders ought not to be global. All offending material which has therefore, been uploaded from within India on to the Defendants' computer resource or computer network would have to be disabled and blocked on a global basis. Since the unlawful act in case of content uploaded from India is committed from within India, a global injunction shall operate in respect of such content. In case of uploads which take place from outside India, the unlawful act would be the dissemination of such content in India, and thus in those cases the platforms may resort to geo-blocking.
xxx xxx xxx"
45. Per contra, learned counsels appearing for defendant nos. 16 to 18 submit that an order, on a global basis, may not be passed by this Court in the first instance, since the said issue is pending before the Division Bench of this Court in FAO(OS) 212/2019, titled as "Facebook, Inc. Versus. Swami Ramdev & Ors.". They further submit that the Division Bench has categorically directed that no contempt shall be faced by or initiated against the various platforms, in view of the fact that the said platforms have not blocked the access of the content in question therein, globally. Thus, it is submitted that even in the said case, the directions as passed by the learned Single Judge are not being complied with.
Page 11 of 21This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02
46. Further, learned counsels appearing for defendant nos. 16 to 18 rely upon the order dated 18th February, 2026, passed by the Co-ordinate Bench of this Court, in the case of "Swami Ramdev Versus John Doe (S) and Ors.", in CS(COMM) 147/2026, wherein, considering the fact that the matter is pending before the Division Bench, orders on global basis were not issued and the injunction was restricted within India only.
47. Learned counsels appearing for the defendant nos. 16 to 18 also rely upon the order dated 01st June, 2020, passed in CS(OS) 135/2020, titled as "Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. and Anr. Versus Sobhagya Media Pvt. Ltd. (APN Live) & Ors., wherein, again considering the fact that the question with respect to injunctions at the global level was subject matter before the Division Bench of this Court, orders in that regard were not passed.
48. The aforesaid contentions are vehemently disputed by learned Senior Counsel appearing for the plaintiff.
49. Let replies be filed by the defendants, within a period of four weeks, from today.
50. Rejoinders thereto, if any be filed within a period of two weeks, thereafter.
51. Considering the submissions made before this Court, this Court is of the view that a prima facie case has been made out by the plaintiff. The balance of convenience is also in favour of the plaintiff and irreparable injury and harm shall be caused to the plaintiff, if defendants are not restrained from posting the content, which is subject matter of the present suit.
52. Consequently, till the next date of hearing, the following directions are issued:
Page 12 of 21This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 i. Defendant nos. 1 to 14 and 21, their agents, representatives, associates, and all other persons acting for or on their behalf are restrained from publishing, re-publishing, circulating or disseminating in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, the contents, on any platform whatsoever, details of which are given in Annexure-A, as attached with the present order. ii. Defendant nos. 1 to 14 and 21, their agents, representatives, associates, and all other persons acting for or on their behalf are directed to forthwith take down and remove the specific URLs/links of the impugned content as detailed in Annexure-A of the present order.
iii. In case, the aforesaid content is not taken down or removed by defendant nos. 1 to 14 and 21, within 24 hours of this order, the defendant nos. 15 to 18 shall take down, remove and block access to the posts, videos, articles and links as detailed in Annexure-A of the present order.
iv. In addition to the aforesaid URLs, which are part of Annexure-
A of the present order, the plaintiff is also at liberty to inform defendant nos. 15 to 18 or any other intermediaries/ platforms/websites of any subsequently discovered URL containing similar content or identical content, as described in the suit, as found on their respective social media platforms and/or websites, which shall be acted upon by the defendant nos. 15 to 18 or other intermediaries, as the case may be. v. In case of any doubt, whether the notified URL falls within the scope of subject matter of the suit, defendant nos. 15 to 18 or Page 13 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 other intermediaries are at liberty to seek clarification from the plaintiff, who may then apply to the Court accordingly. vi. In case, any identical social media contents/URLs are informed by the plaintiff to defendant nos. 15 to 18, the details of the same shall also be filed before this Court.
vii. It is directed that the directions as passed today are directions to be followed within the jurisdiction of India/Indian Domain. viii. The present injunction order operates within the Indian Domain with respect to the videos/contents which have been uploaded from IP Addresses within the Indian Domain.
ix. In so far as the URLs/links, which are attached as Annexure-A with the present order, have been uploaded from outside India, the defendants are directed to block access and disable them from being viewed in the Indian Domain and ensure that users in India are unable to access the same.
53. Compliance affidavit under Order XXXIX Rule 3 of the CPC shall be filed, within a period of one week, from today.
54. List before the Joint Registrar (Judicial) on 07th May, 2026, for further proceedings.
55. List before the Court on 07th August, 2026.
MINI PUSHKARNA, J MARCH 17, 2026/SK Page 14 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 ANNEXURE-A Page 15 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Page 16 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Page 17 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Page 18 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Page 19 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Page 20 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02 Page 21 of 21 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 17/03/2026 at 22:35:02